


Momentary

by orphan_account



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2020-06-29 22:16:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19839610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Niles had done everything right. No matter how many times he ran the memory over in his head, he hadn't made a single mistake.And yet Leo still dies.





	Momentary

Niles rarely lets his gaze leave Leo on the battlefield. Countless times it's nearly cost him his life. Countless times Leo has scolded him, trying to feign anger and detachment but unable to stop the tears forming in his eyes. Countless times Niles has pointedly refused to learn.  
  
  
"You're no good to me dead," Leo says, apparent coldness in his tone betrayed by the waver of his voice and the slight shake of his hands. Icy formalities that do nothing to hide the undercurrent of _I couldn't bear to lose you either, idiot_ in his words. But it only takes a second. A minor lapse in judgement, a momentary distraction, any number of small mistakes that would forfeit all his efforts in the blink of an eye. Niles wouldn't, couldn't afford to let his guard relax for even a second.  
  
  
And he doesn't.  
  
  
One skillful swing of the sword from a foe Leo notices just a hair too late. Nothing more, nothing less. Niles sees it coming, reacts as quickly as he possibly can, hands scrambling for a shot that comes a split second behind the blow. A cry of warning dying on his lips as Leo realizes his predicament of his own accord. An arrow sprouting from the enemy's chest before Leo has the time to register the injury he'd just received. One clean motion, expertly angled to slip between the plates of his armor. Perhaps it had been a fluke, a last ditch attempt at doing some level of damage before the swordsman lost his life to the fell prince of Nohr.  
  
  
But he didn't.  
  
  
Leo hadn't the chance to retaliate. Niles had, and did so, a perfect shot to deny the poor bastard even a moment to celebrate. Perfect. It was all perfect. The perfect position and angle of the blade, the perfect bothersome toad to keep Leo preoccupied beforehand, the perfect delay between Niles's eye and his hands. Perfect attention to detail, a smooth, fluid motion of arrow and bowstring, a precise killing blow to follow up what should've been a minor injury to his charge. Niles had done everything right. No matter how many times he ran the memory over in his head, _he hadn't made a single mistake_.  
  
  
And yet Leo still dies.

  
  
  
"Niles?" sleepy-soft, a gentle question, tinged around the edges with worry. Niles awakes to a cautious hand on his shoulder, shaking him maybe harder than is truly merited. Odin's hand, concern apparent on his face even in the gentle moonlight, his head too honeyed over with sleep to properly spin his prose. "I know you don't like it when I wake you, but... I'm afraid whatever fell beast haunted your dreamscape awoke me. I couldn't leave you to such a creature." Emphasis on _properly_. But still, Odin's words told him it had been _a dream_. Of _course_ it had been a dream. One too many pristine coincidences in a line to ever be a reality. For a moment Niles feels the grip he didn't realize he'd had on the bedsheets relax, his breathing steady, the tension in his shoulders drop off.  
  
  
But there was a distinct lack of another person on either side of the bed, wasn't there?  
  
  
"Are you alr-"  
  
  
"Leo," Niles cuts in, sharp and urgent and unwilling to let Odin finish his sentence. At any other time his concern would be properly appreciated, but right now Niles can feel the knot in his chest tightening once more. He bolts upright in bed before Odin could even open his mouth. He wasn't sure if he was ready to hear the answer.  
  
  
"What?" It seemed Odin wasn't ready to hear the question.  
  
  
" _Where is he_?" barely managed through gritted teeth, a hiss like a cornered cat.  
  
  
"He's still in his study, Niles I—hey!" The rest doesn't matter. Niles shoves off him, nearly throwing Odin off the bed. Or maybe he had thrown him to the floor? He could apologize later either way; Leo's study was close by (he'd fallen asleep at his desk one too many times for it to be farther from his bed) but the distance is still suffocating, the door opens far too slowly, the light doesn't register in his vision anywhere near soon enough.  
  
  
But Leo is there, focused on _something_ Niles doesn't stop to process, exhausted irritation flickering in the dying candlelight. But he's _there_ , breathing, his midsection pristine and free of the torrent of blood that was still so vivid in Niles's mind.  
  
  
Niles nearly tackles him out of his chair, making a mess of ink and pens and loose paper, pressing frantic kisses to his lips like Leo will fade away in his arms should he stop.  
  
  
"Niles! This is hardly the time to-" If Leo wasn't annoyed before, he certainly was now. Niles can feel the newly spilled ink on his skin, cool and viscous and another sharp reminder that _this was real_. He cuts Leo off—he keeps doing that tonight, doesn't he?—burying his face in his chest and tightening his embrace enough to choke the air out of Leo's lungs for a moment. Leo freezes, letting Niles sob so openly into his shoulder for a brief moment before gently forcing his grip to loosen.  
  
  
"Niles, I'm afraid I need to breathe," and all the anger in Leo's voice melts off, gentle sleepy concern rushing in its wake. Odin's footsteps behind him, then gently crouching down to wrap his arms around Niles in turn. "Are you okay?" Leo runs his hand through Niles's hair, slightly sticky with rapidly drying ink. _That_ would stain. He could be mad about it later. Maybe never. Probably later. Leo waits patiently for an answer that Niles can't choke out.  
  
  
"I had to wake him up," Odin mumbles into the crook of Niles's neck; he'd barely woken up himself, really. Leo presses his free hand to Niles's face, carefully forcing him to look him in the eyes. Those gentle eyes, only marred by the dark bags showing his exhaustion—if it could truly be called marred. But they were beautiful and full of a tired kind of vibrancy and _alive_. Leo studies his face for a brief second, pursing his lips and wiping his tears away before he parts them to speak  
  
  
"That dream again?" Niles answers by squeezing him tighter once more (and Leo gently protests, but doesn't pull him off).

**Author's Note:**

> this is "Hoo Hoo Hoo Angst.txt", written to hurt my friends and then fixed at gunpoint. niles is very vain about his hair, leo was definitely about to pass out at his desk, and odin did get shoved off the bed. i didnt proof this very well, feel free to point out mistakes. hope you enjoyed xoxo


End file.
